1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to transferring data, and, in particular, to a system and method for automatically uploading, downloading, and updating sleep study data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition that affects millions of people from around the world. OSA is characterized by disturbances or cessation in breathing during sleep. OSA episodes result from partial or complete blockage of airflow during sleep that lasts at least 10 seconds and often as long as 1 to 2 minutes. In a given night, people with moderate to severe apnea may experience complete or partial breathing disruptions as high as 200-500 per night. Because their sleep is constantly disrupted, they are deprived of the restorative sleep necessary for efficient functioning of body and mind. This sleep disorder has also been linked with hypertension, depression, stroke, cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular disorders. OSA also causes excessive tiredness.
Various methods have been used to assess whether a patient suffers from OSA. The most comprehensive method is a clinical polysomnogram (PSG), which can diagnose many significant sleep pathologies. A PSG generally involves a sleep study of a patient where audio and other parameters of the patient is recorded while the patient sleeps. A technician then “scores” the recorded data. Scoring the recorded data involves analyzing the data to identify events that occurred during the PSG that may be useful in diagnosing sleep pathologies. Data collected during a PSG is generally stored in several different files such as multiple audio files, other data files, and a scoring file.
The PSG data (also referred to as sleep study data) is generated or used in several different locations, such as a sleep lab, a scoring technician's office, and a physician's office. It is preferable to store the PSG at a central location, such as a server, where it is accessible to multiple locations through a network, such as the internet.
The PSG is generated and updated at several locations, which necessitates transferring and updating files between the remote locations and the central location to ensure that the PSG data being accessed by a user is up to date. A file transfer protocol (FTP) server on a server at the central location has been used to download and upload PSG data between the central location and the remote locations. Other file sharing systems have also been used to manage file transfers between the central location and the remote locations. However, these file transfer mechanisms require users to manually initiate downloads or uploads. For example, if a scoring technician wants to score a sleep study, he must first download the sleep study files from the central location to his remote location. Then, the scoring technician scores the sleep study data on a computer at his remote location. Finally, the scoring technician uploads any new or updated files to the central location.
This process can quickly become cumbersome as even a single study may need to be accessed and updated multiple times before a patient is diagnosed. Moreover, it may be difficult for a user to determine which, if any, sleep study files have been updated at the central location.
Current file transfer services upload to a temporary directory on the server, and when the upload is complete, the file is copied to a permanent directory. This protocol prevents an incomplete transfer of a single file, such as one in which connection was lost before the upload completed, from being permanently stored on the server. Some file transfer services forgo the temporary directory and copy files directly to their final destination. However, this process can lead to incomplete files being stored at their final destination in the case of an incomplete transfer.
Additionally, when a file is being uploaded, the server will provide synchronization locking which prevents the same file from being uploaded or downloaded by a different user at the same time. However, under current file transfer protocols, uploads are transferred to a permanent directory and synchronization locking is provided on a file-by-file basis. That is, when uploading of one file is complete, the file will be transferred to the permanent directory and the synchronization locking will stop.
Current file transfer services behave in a similar manner when downloading files from the server to a client computer. That is, they may download a file to a temporary directory to prevent an incomplete file from being downloaded to its final destination directory in the case the connection was lost before the download was complete. Some services may download a file directly to its final destination directory, which can result in an incomplete transfer. Additionally, when a file is being downloaded, the client operating system will provide synchronization locking which prevents other applications on the client from accessing the file while it is being downloaded. However, under current file transfer protocols the synchronization locking is provided on a file-by-file basis.
Accordingly, a need exists for improvement in transferring data files such as sleep study data files between central and remote locations.